1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to a cage or bracket for mounting one or more electronic devices within a computer, particularly to such a cage or bracket pivotable between an operating position, in which the electronic devices are held in place within the computer, and a service position, in which the electronic device(s) is/are moved outward from the computer for removal or installation, and, more particularly, to such a cage or bracket which is latched in place in the service position.
2. Description of the Related Art
Typical computer systems include a number of device bays, in which drive devices are mounted by installation from the front of the system. Such drive devices, which are often called DASD (Direct Access Storage Device) drives, include floppy disk drives, hard disk drives, and CD ROM drives. Often, these bays do not provide access to insert screws to engage the threaded mounting holes provided within the drive devices. While these mounting holes are typically provided along the left and right sides of the drive device, and often also along the bottom surface of the drive device, in many computing systems the bays only provide for attachment access from the front of the system. In many computer systems, drives are mounted in a side-by-side arrangement, preventing access to the screw holes on the side of each drive adjacent the other drive. Therefore, a number of adapters have been devised to fasten to various of the threaded mounting holes of a drive device, with the device attached to the adapter being installed from the front of the computer system. For example, a slide may be screwed to each side of a drive device, with the frame surfaces forming the drive bay being adapted to provide recesses for sliding engagement with the slides on opposite sides of the drive device.
What is needed is a structure, such as a cage, for mounting a drive, which is itself movable from an operating position, in which it is held closely among adjacent structures of the computing system, and a service position, in which access to the screws mounting the drive within the structure. It is particularly desirable that at least one drive unit may be mounted within such a structure without a need to attach side rails or other types of adapter plates.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,572,402 describes a hard disk drive mounting assembly for a computer, in which the disk drive mounting assembly includes a hard disk drive case held in the computer body by pins oppositely protruding from respective lower portions of the exterior surfaces of a pair of opposed sides of the hard disk drive case, having rails on the interior surfaces of those opposed sides, and having apertures in those opposed sides, and having apertures in those opposed sides into which rail hooks can be inserted. The hard disk drive case can be tipped open or closed by turning around the pins as aligned separate axles. The hard disk drive case is held closed by spring catches that engage notches in the computer body. Thus, while a latch mechanism is provided for holding the pivoting hard disk drive case closed, what is needed is an additional mechanism for holding this case in its open position. Such an additional mechanism would simplify the installation or removal of the hard disk drive by preventing the pivoting movement of the hard drive case during such an installation or removal, and would allow the easy use of the mounting assembly in an orientation in which gravity tends to close rather than open the mounting assembly.
The patent literature includes a number of descriptions of overall computer configurations using pivoting sections to provide for access to various internal components. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,495,389 describes a personal computer including a frame unit and a top cover mounted to pivot upward and outward to the rear of the system, or alternately upward to the side. One or more drive devices may be mounted to extend downward from the top cover. Pivoting the top cover from its closed, operating position, to its open position provides access to the drive devices from below and to components, such as adapter cards and the main system board, from above. The top cover includes, extending along its lower surface, a device-mounting bracket including a number of slotted channels. Each drive device is attached to the device-mounting bracket by means of a pair of sideplates, fastened to the sides of the device with screws, with tabs of the sideplates extending upward into the slots in the channels. When the drive device is installed, a latching mechanism holds the tabs in place within the slots. The top cover is held in an open position by means of a linkage including a detent mechanism. In this regard, what is needed is a simple mechanism preventing movement of the top cover past a stopping surface of the frame extending below the top cover, when the top cover is held open.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,784,251 and 5,784,252 describe personal computers each having a main chassis section and a subchassis hinged to pivot along a horizontal axis between a folded-in position, and a folded-out position. The subchassis section includes a power supply and several drive units, which move together with the subchassis as it is pivoted. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,784,251, the subchassis extends over the main chassis section, and the pivoting motion is used to provide access to a main system board mounted in the main chassis section. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,784,252, the subchassis section extends over an end portion of the main chassis section, and the pivoting motion is used to provide access within an area between the main chassis section and the subchassis.
Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 5,973,918 describes a computing system having-a pair of drive units mounted on the top surface of a plate pivoted along the front edge of the system. Both drive units move together, with the plate as it is pivoted to gain access to components mounted below the plate.
In U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,784,251, 5,784,252, and 5,973,918, the pivoting movement does not address the problems associated with access to mounting locations for closely spaced drive units, which are directed away from the areas opened by pivoting.
Furthermore, while U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,495,389, 5,784,252, 5,784,253, and 5,973,918 describes a particular overall system configuration, having certain advantages concerning access to various components, what is needed is a device-mounting bracket mounting only a number of drive units, which can be used in various system configurations, including tower configurations
A number of other U.S. patents describe apparatus for mounting drive units by sliding the units within slots in housings. The apparatus may include various brackets in which individual drive units are mounted, but the brackets are not pivoted into place, and, with the brackets being completely removed from the computer with the drive units, there is no means for holding the brackets in a service position for making device and cable attachments. Such patents include U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,564,804, 6,102,499, 6,157,540, and 6,158,699.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,268,100 describes a printed circuit board holder including an integral, generally rectangular board receptacle, which is pivotally supported above the base of a data processing device by spaced cradle posts. The receptacle can be pivoted from a normal (operating) position through an angle of approximately 90 degrees to a service position in which the receptacle bottom wall is nearly perpendicular to the base. An integral latch mechanism keeps the holder in the normal position until the latch is manually released. Multiple pin connector boards and stiffener plates are secured to the receptacle by integral latches. Again, what is needed is a latch mechanism for holding the printed circuit board holder in its service position, in order to facilitate the loading of printed circuit boards without having to manually prevent rotation of the holder.
In accordance with a first aspect of the invention, apparatus is provided for mounting an electronic device within a computing system. The apparatus includes a stationary structure of the computing system, a pivoting mounting structure for mounting the electronic device, and a releasable latch. The stationary structure includes a pivotal bearing structure and a first motion stopping surface. The pivoting mounting structure is mounted within the pivotal bearing structure to move between an operating position within the computing system and a service position, with the pivoting mounting structure extending outward from the computing system in the service position. The releasable latch is formed to move into position to hold the pivoting structure in the service position as the pivoting mounting structure is moved into the service position.
The releasable latch preferably includes a latching tab extending as a portion of the pivoting mounting structure to contact the first motion stopping surface as the pivoting mounting structure is moved from the service position toward the operating position. The stationary structure of the computing system preferably also includes an interposing tab, which extends adjacent to the latching tab, as the latching tab is held in contact with the first motion stopping surface, preventing movement of the latching tab in a first direction. The releasable latch is then released by pivoting the pivoting mounting structure to move the latching tab in the first direction away from the first motion stopping surface and the interposing tab, and by holding the latching tab away from the first motion stopping surface as the pivoting mounting structure is moved from the service position toward the operating position.